Top 20 Greatest Video Game Anti-Heroes

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Video Game Anti-Heroes.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the best anti-heroes in gaming. For the sake of diversity, each franchise will be limited to just one character.

Which anti-hero in gaming do you think has caused the most suffering? Let us know in the comments!

Due to its amnesia-themed premise, "Disco Elysium's" protagonist takes a while to remember who he is. Once Harry starts to piece together the fragments of his former self, the character learns that he was once a great detective, but things changed roughly six years before the events of the game. Harry is broken, self-destructive, and prone to off-putting outbursts, traits amplified by his substance abuse issues. The ghost of Harry's past looms throughout the long story as the game takes the lost detective on a journey of discovery, growth, and murder-solving.

A leader of the Maverick Hunters who faces off against the Reploids, Zero has had to adopt a no-nonsense approach just to keep everything afloat. Compared to X, Zero is a pragmatist who's willing to make the tough choices for the greater good, including killing close friends. In the "Mega Man X" series, Zero is pretty much a straight-up hero, though he’s more ruthless in his spin-off series. Zero yearns for peace but understands that, in his world, a lot of heads need to roll to achieve it.

The best gangster stories tend to follow a rise and fall formula, and "Mafia 2" is no exception. Seeking to escape a lifetime of poverty and to pay off his family's debt, Vito takes to the life of a gangster, a road that leads to riches, tragedy, and a stint in prison. From robberies to hits, Vito does some terrible things throughout the game, but the made man never gets any joy out of these actions. Vito is unassuming, not especially ambitious, and quiet; however, he’s also greedy, prone to violence when necessary, and grows to become quite bitter by the time Mafia 3 rolls around.

In fiction's long history of assassins, Travis Touchdown has perhaps the most bizarre motivation behind his career path: the dude wants to make bank and buy some video games. "No More Heroes" lives up to its name, especially the first game; Travis goes on a killing spree simply to be the best killer in the business and reap the rewards. While charming and likable, Travis is by no means a good person, but he's also willing and able to play by this universe's rules. Hey, some dudes are just willing to kill other dudes if it means a night with someone like Sylvia!

A virus, an identity crisis, superpowers, and being constantly hunted by an army leave little room for altruism. Alex Mercer spends most of the first "Prototype" trying to stitch together his memories along with the truth behind the outbreak in New York City. For the most part, Mercer works to stop the actions of Blackwatch and Gentek, but the protagonist shows basically no regard for human life. Even before completely going off the deep end and becoming a pure villain in the second game, Mercer walks a fine line between good and evil during his debut.

Leading a three-man team into Dubai to track down a wayward colonel, for majority of the time we spend with him, Walker comes across as a soldier with seemingly respectable intentions driven to commit questionable acts by his situation. While he seems to consider himself a hero for the most part, "Spec Ops" presents Walker as somewhat of an anti-hero for large chunks of the campaign, at least before that superb final twist that turns everything on its head. You know what they say about hell and good intentions, right?

A touch of mystery goes a long way. Compared to Kirby's overwhelming adorableness, Meta Knight's design screams cool anti-hero. Meta Knight has retained his ambiguous presentation throughout the years, even as his actions have generally grown more irrefutably noble. Meta Knight has an intense but mostly one-sided rivalry with Kirby that is fueled by respect. During the character's earliest appearances, Meta Knight's motivations are largely left up in the air. Even when faced as a boss, he comes across as an honorable opponent rather than an agent of chaos, permitting he’s not being controlled.

Sonic might be the personification of the 90s, but the blue blur is unequivocally a traditional hero. Every mascot needs their dark counterpart, and Sonic found his in Shadow. After getting over his initial planet-destroying phase, Shadow settled down as Sega's resident anti-hero, and the hedgehog can brood with the best of them. Very much adhering to the "ends justify the means" mantra, Shadow is ruthless, vicious, and willing to take on both villains and heroes. Shadow is a lot more than just Sonic with a gun, though his backstory is pretty much an angst layer cake.

An NYPD cop dragged down into the abyss after the brutal murder of his family, Max starts relatively heroic but progressively becomes consumed by vengeance. Going undercover to investigate the Punchinello Crime Family's involvement with the Valkyr drug, Max takes on a Punisher-esque role that involves leaving mountains of bodies in his wake. After the first game, Max develops into even more of an anti-hero as he loses much of a reason to live, performing some acts that only heighten his guilt. Max doesn't consider himself to be a hero, and that's with good reason.

The best assassin in the business, Agent 47 often targets reprehensible people, giving the bald killer an air of heroism. Even if all of his targets have had it coming, and that's not always the case, Agent 47 is still ultimately a grim reaper who profits by spreading death. He’s also the ultimate professional and will make sure to see a contract to completion. While the assassin might prefer to keep the body count down to just one, Agent 47 is not above stuffing some unlucky bystanders in closets if they happen to get in the way. If that involves a bullet, so be it.

Like so many characters in the "Metal Gear" verse, Big Boss is complicated. Ingrained in the soldier's life, Big Boss sought to create a world that exists in a constant state of war, and in doing so provide a haven for his fellow warriors. As awful of a motive as that is, Big Boss wasn't born a James Bond villain; Naked Snake saved the world multiple times and later on provided support and purpose to soldiers who had been used and discarded. For all of the wretched atrocities he committed, Big Boss still strived to change the world for the better.

In the '90s and early 2000s, Rare had the 3D collectathon market cornered, so the studio decided to take a bit of a risk with Conker's first solo home console game. A twisted take on the wholesome Nintendo mascot, Conker drinks, swears, and can be a downright unpleasant squirrel. Motivated by cash and, to a lesser extent, his love for his girlfriend, Conker does help out plenty of people, although he hardly does anything out of the kindness of his heart. Conker, somehow, stumbles tail-backwards into the Panther Kingdom's throne, and the land might be in for some tough times with this squirrel as its ruler.

Nothing is as it seems, and the same goes for Booker. As a soldier, he subjected Native Americans to various unforgivable tragedies in a desperate attempt to reject his heritage. Later on, the death of his wife sent Booker in a spiral, resulting in him selling his only daughter for a clean financial slate. A bout of memory problems and a trip to another dimension leads Booker to Elizabeth, and that's when the protagonist's potential for heroism finally begins to shine. Booker is an anti-hero who flirted with pure villainy for most of his life, and it almost consumed him.

As the anti-Mario, Wario is lovably greedy and charmingly appalling. While a straight-up villain in games like "Super Mario Land 2," Wario takes on an anti-hero role in the "Wario Land" series, even if any heroics tend to be totally by chance. Wario is primarily driven by his love of shiny things and an innate desire to step out of Mario's planet-sized shadow. While his adventures are nearly always inspired by a promise of treasure, Wario has inadvertently saved lives and defeated some dangerous foes like Rudy and the Golden Diva.

Romanticism aside, the life of a pirate does not typically attract innocent souls, and Edward is no saint. A tough upbringing fuelled Edward's innate desire to make a name for himself, specifically through riches and power. Following a stint as a privateer, Edward found himself sailing the seas with Blackbeard before inheriting his own crew. Even after becoming involved with the Assassin and Templar war, Edward remained focused on his own goals, an obsession that sparked plenty of misfortune. Eventually, Edward grew into a far better person and a respectable Assassin, but that came after years of selfishness.

Ever since debuting in "Resident Evil 2," Ada has been tough to pin down. A spy who always does things her way, Ada flip flops between saving the heroes and aiding Albert Wesker, particularly earlier on in the franchise. Ada often comes across as an enigmatic agent of chaos; someone who drops in and out of situations and, typically, leaves a befuddled Leon in her wake. Ada takes on a more proactive and heroic role in "Resident Evil 6," but the character is arguably at her best when working from the shadows and with ambiguous motives.

Rockstar and anti-heroes go hand-in-hand, and "GTA" has so many of them. Seeking a new life in America, Niko quickly learns that things aren't that different in the Land of the Free and, before too long, finds himself involved with the mafia. While prone to violent eruptions and soaked in blood, Niko does not revel in death, and he's generally motivated by loyalty to his family. Niko does tend to stick up for those who can't protect themselves, while his involvement with the International Affairs Agency forces him to more directly play the part of the hero.

In a world where survival is the only thing that matters, there is no room for traditional heroes. Following the death of his daughter and society's degradation into a cutthroat hellscape, Joel becomes someone prepared to kill to see another day. In Ellie, Joel found a surrogate daughter and a reason to live, and thus became all too willing to make the tough choices to keep Ellie safe, regardless of whether she agrees with him or not. Joel's parental desperation to protect his daughter-figure is totally understandable, but he would also happily let the world burn if it meant spending another day with Ellie.

Expertly told through Rockstar's epic western, Arthur Morgan goes from a brutal thug to someone who fights to cause a positive change in the world. As a long-time member of Dutch's gang, Arthur believes wholeheartedly in the leader's mantra of seeking a free life away from society's rules. As Dutch grows more unhinged and the gang begins to fall apart, Arthur recontextualizes his ideals and comes to regret his actions. Permitting players go down the "high honor" path, Arthur becomes a true anti-hero, someone who selflessly prioritizes the safety of other people above his own.

After the Greek gods pushed him too far, this Spartan retaliated to the point he all but destroyed all of creation. As Kratos becomes obsessed with his quest to kill the gods due to one betrayal after another, any semblance of heroism disappears. By the end of "God of War III," Kratos had brought Greece to its knees, just as much a victim as a contributor to the endless cycle of revenge. If it was not for 2018's "God of War," Kratos might be remembered as a bonafide villain who had let his rage wholeheartedly dominate him.